The Assistant Coach of the Year award is designed to recognize an assistant coach or associate head coach who meets one or more of the following criteria: outstanding commitment to his/her program, made a significant impact on the success of his/her program and demonstrated a high level of professionalism and integrity as a coach.

Lister is in his ninth year as an assistant on the Duke rowing staff and has played an integral role in the program's recruiting and athlete development. He has helped the program finish among the top three at the ACC Championship during eight of his nine seasons, including the team's most recent third-place finish at the 2012 Championships.

Lister is now eligible to win the National Assistant Coach of the Year Award, which will be voted on in June.